Leopard 2 Strv 122

The newest tank in the Swedish Army inventory is the Krauss Maffei Wegman Leopard 2 Improved S, a modified Leopard 2A5 with three tons of additional armor, primarily applied to the front and the top of the vehicle, plus a new command and control system. The first 20 tanks delivered were made by Krauss Maffei Wegman in Germany, but they are now made under license in Sweden. Deliveries started in 1997.

Leopard 2 Improved S, Swedish designation "strv122", in Swedish army camouflage. The registration number, 122001, indicates that it is the first strv122 delivered.

The trials

After a decision to buy new tanks for the Royal Swedish Army had been made one of the most thorough trials of recent years started. The "competitors" were the German Leopard 2 Improved S, the French Leclerc and the American M1A2 Abrams. It was finally decided that the winner was the Krauss-Maffei Leopard 2A5 Improved S, equipped with an improved command, control, communications and intelligence system (C3I). The initial order was for 120 tanks, with deliveries to start in 1997 and all tanks to be delivered by 2002. There is an option for further orders. The British Challenger did not take part in the competition because of stupidity on the part of its manufacturer, which meant that it missed the train.

The Leo 2A5 Improved was found to be as good as the Abrams, but at a lower total cost.

The Swedish Leopard 2 have some additional improvements which increases the combat weight of the vehicle from the 59.7 tonnes of the German Leopard 2A5 to 62 tonnes. Additional improvements required by Sweden include:

(1)Improved protection of the front and sides of the chassis similar to that of the turret, including spall liner

(2)Improved protection against the effects of bomblets on the turret roof

(3)A modular Tank Command and Control System (TCCS) connected via a databus to the subsystems of the tank and including both the navigation system and a new generation of Swedish'radio equipment